Monday, 9 February 2015

Labour's plan for a better future for families

Labour's plan for a better future for families

Labour has today announced a plan to tackle the shortage of childcare places. This is one of the ways in the next few days that we are recognising the challenges families face today are managing work and childcare - because Britain only succeeds when working people are able to suceed.

Our plans will tackle the shortage of decent childcare places – allowing an additional 50,000 childcare places to be provided by ensuring that, rather than sitting empty, children's centres are using their buildings either to offer childcare directly or allowing charities and local providers to use their premises.

Families today are frustrated with a system that hasn't caught up with the realities of modern life, with parents increasingly struggling to balance the demands of work and family at a time when many people are facing a cost of living crisis.

The lack of affordable childcare and a place shortage means many families can't get decent childcare. Childcare costs have risen by 30 per cent since 2010 while available childcare places have plummeted by over 40,000. Faced with these pressures, many parents are asking why new Sure Start Children's Centres are standing empty or risking closure.

Labour recognises that the country will only succeed if we support families to cope with the pressures of juggling work and care in modern life today.

That's why Labour has set out measures to take the pressure off families facing the cost-of-living crisis – with action to tackle low pay and insecurity, freeze energy bills and create more predictable tenancies for families in the private rented sector.

We will also help families with the cost of childcare by extending free childcare from 15 to 25 hours a week for working parents of three and four year olds. And today we are going further to provide an additional 50,000 childcare places by ensuring that children's centres are using their buildings either to offer childcare directly or allowing local providers to use their premises.

Labour has set out a new plan for Britain's future, a plan that works for ordinary families, rewarding the hard work they do and saving the NHS they rely on.

The Tories can't build a better future for working people because they stand up only for a privileged few. With the NHS going backwards and a recovery which works just for a few, working people can't afford five more years of David Cameron.

You can't trust Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats. They broke their promises and have been too weak to stand up to the Tories.

UKIP can't stand for working people: they're more Tory than the Tories, a party made up of Tory people, promoting Tory policies, bankrolled by Tory donors.

The Labour Party

LCC Safe Trader Scheme

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